Cups for single serve coffee brewing, for example, are formed, filled and sealed and presented in random volume and mixed orientation from forming and filling machines. Typically, such cups are accumulated in random batches and are fed from a feeder drum or bowl into a lid-up, single file line for packaging.
Such cups may vary, at least slightly in shape, in weight and in overall height, depending on whether the typical foil lid or cover outwardly bulges or is somewhat sunken below the cup rim. Generally the cups are slightly tapered from a wider, rounded cross-section at their upper end or mouth at the rim to a narrower rounded cross-section at their bottom ends. The inwardly tapering cup walls from top to bottom may be straight or may have circumferential rings or steps surrounding the upper cup end. Internally, the cups typically contain a filter disposed midway up the cup with coffee between the filter and the upper end or lid. The bottom portion of the cup may define an empty “brew chamber”, such that the cup is somewhat top heavy. Depending on construction, a top lid is usually adhesively applied to a radially extending lip or rim extending as a radial flange around the open mouth of the cup. Such lid may bulge outwardly (upwardly) or it may slightly sink below the rim. The cup bottom may be flat, or it too may slightly bulge outwardly, depending on its design and the forming, filling process. As a result, any handling structure downstream of the feeder bowl must be adjustable to handle such cups of a large variety of external shapes, weight and top heaviness, depending on fill.
In a line of cups, guided in a single lane where one cup engages a preceding cup and, in turn, is engaged by a following cup, the cups may not be transported uniformly. For example, if a top guide is adjusted down to engage a sunken cup lid, it may not pass cups with bulging top lids and which hangs up or causes voids in the line of feeding cups, resulting in downstream packaging aberrations, waste, etc. Adjustment of such guides, etc. for cups of different configuration is thus required, takes time and reduces through-put rates when changes are required.
If a handling or guiding system is not “tuned” to a particular cup parameter, cups of even slightly different parameters may upset, fall over or otherwise jam up the feeder once the cups are placed in single file. This results in a high rate of rejection (or lower rate of operational efficiency).
The desire then is to provide apparatus for transferring cups having varied parameters with universal efficiency and comparatively low rejection rates, even when handling cups having a variety of the aforementioned variances.
In addition, the cups are typically presented for cartoning in a line with the cups abutting. For packaging, the cups are typically spaced apart for handling in the packaging process. This is typically accomplished, for example, by one or more timing screws which operate to space the cups apart. These screws are typically configured to the cup shape where handling different cups require a change in the screw.
In handling cups for packaging, it is also desirable to place them into cartons for shipping, transportation and display at the point of sale with as many cups as possible oriented in the given interior volume of any carton. Proper orientation can result in the smallest carton possible for the desired number of cups therein.
Accordingly, it is also desired to reliably orient cups for carton packaging in desired formation but at high speeds and reliable cup through-put.